Los Angeles will be in the NFL spotlight Thursday when the undefeated Rams take on the Minnesota Vikings in a key NFC match-up.

But a 5:20 p.m. kick-off time doesn't exactly work with Los Angeles traffic, so the Rams and coach Sean McVay are helping out by issuing an "request for early dismissal" to employers.

The memo signed by McVay requests that fans be allowed to leave work early to "change into their Rams gear, meet up with friends and grab a rally towel before kickoff."

The Vikings are coming off an abysmal performance in a 27-6 loss at home to the Bills. The Rams lost starting cornerback Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters to injuries in Sunday's 35-23 win over the Chargers.

Talib could miss a significant amount of time and will likely need surgery to repair his ankle. The 2016 All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler was acquired in a trade with Denver in the offseason.

Peters' calf injury makes him day-to-day on the injury report.

Six Flags in St. Louis, Missouri, is challenging six contestants to spend 30 hours inside a coffin for a chance to win $300 during the park's annual spooktacular Halloween event.

Participants of the ghoulish contest to celebrate the 30th year of Fright Fest will bide their time inside 2-by-7-foot coffins at the park from 1 p.m. Oct. 13 to 7 p.m. Oct. 14. 

Coffin dwellers will be allowed to bring a friend during Fright Fest operating hours, "but they must brave the non-operating hours alone,” according to the contest's rules. Contestants will also get brief hourly bathroom breaks and in-coffin meals.

Those who complete the macabre challenge will win two 2019 Gold Season Passes, a Fright Fest prize package including two VIP Haunted House passes, and a ticket for two to ride the Freak Train for Freaks Unleashed.

If more than one person makes it to 30 hours, a drawing will determine who gets the $300.

One more perk: Successful coffin dwellers get to keep their casket.

Six Flags will choose the six participants on Oct. 4 and nominees must accept by Oct. 6. If all coffins are not filled, alternates will be notified by Oct. 8.

Click here to register. The deadline to register is Oct. 3 at midnight.

Coffin Dweller Requirements:

-Must be 18 years or older and have a photo ID for verification

-Cannot have any medical condition(s) where participating could be a health risk 

-Complete and sign a waiver at check-in  

-Must be able to completely lay in a 2’ x 7’ coffin

-Provide own pillow and sleeping bag or blankets

-Check in at Six Flags St. Louis by 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13

Six Flags St. Louis will provide:

-Six, deluxe, 2’ x 7’, slightly used coffins

-Breakfast in bed (well all meals, snacks and drinks in bed actually)

-One, six-minute bathroom break every hour

-Random visits by 'Fright Fest Freaks'

-A Six Flags representative will be present at all times

-Phone charging stations       

Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004. The judge also declared Cosby a “sexually violent predator,” which means he will have to undergo monthly counseling and register with police if he leaves prison.

A death investigation was underway in Torrance after a body was discovered near train tracks Tuesday, police confirmed.

The body, which appeared to be strapped to or pinned between train cars, was discovered on tracks in the area between Prairie and Crenshaw Boulevard on Del Amo Boulevard.

Torrance police confirmed they were investigating a death, but did not have other details to share. 

Refresh for updates.

Ever built a sandwich, using just the right bread, and some savory slices of meat, and perhaps a layer of cheese, and anything else you like to include within your towering, hand-holdable, hunger-abating creation?

You likely paused and summed it up thusly, for anyone in earshot: "This sandwich is a work of art."

But rarely does the sandwich, as an idea, or specific sandwiches, receive their artistic, gallery-cool due.

That's about to change for one of the most celebrated sandwiches in town, and beyond town, too, for one painting-filled week of Philippe's-based beauty.

That's right, it is an art show at a restaurant, Philippe the Original, to be exact, which will celebrate its 110th anniversary on Monday, Oct. 1 with an afternoon of revelry, games, entertainment, raffle, and those famous French Dips, priced at $1.10 for the occasion.

And a centerpiece of the sandwich-y celebration? The "Sandwiches & Carvers" exhibit, a free-to-see show on the historic eatery's second floor.

Artist Gregg Gibbs, the artist behind the paint brush, created 70 oil-on-panel paintings "... of sandwiches sides, and pies, and with portraits of the 'carvers' who serve them such as 34-year veteran carver, Rosina."

It's a moving way to spotlight the dedicated and talented people who've worked at Philippe the Original for decades, as well as their culinary creations, sandwiches that have kept Angelenos coming back to the corner-facing restaurant at Alameda and Ord Streets, near Union Station.

Look also, once you're visiting the second floor, for tributes to food writer Jonathan Gold, as well as the Earl of Sandwich.

But like you wouldn't wait long to eat the French Dip you just ordered, once it is placed on the tray in front of you, you shouldn't wait too long to see the "Sandwiches & Carvers" art show: It will be on view at Philippe's from Saturday, Sept. 29 through Saturday, Oct. 6. 

The opening reception for the appetite-stoking show is on Sept. 29 from 6 to 9 in the evening.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Tuesday issued a statement refusing to remove disgraced actor Bill Cosby's star from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In the statement, the chamber said that Walk of Fame stars are "intended to be permanent" and that it does not remove stars from the Walk of Fame, even when "the personal lives of inductees do not measure up to public standards..."

Calls for Cosby's star to be removed had grown as the actor faced sentencing for a 2004 sexual assault on Andrea Constand, a Temple University women's basketball administrator, at his Philadelphia home.

On Tuesday, Cosby was sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison for the assault on Constand.

"The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is sending a horrible, a despicable message: women's bodies, women's lives, women's worth means nothing. All we care about is money and our tradition of honoring someone that puts down $30,000 for a star," said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, president of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, which led a petition to have Cosby's star removed.

Through a spokeswoman, the chamber of commerce declined a request for interview.

Below is the chamber's full statement about Cosby's star:

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historical record of entertainment figures past and present. Once installed, the stars become part of the historic fabric of the Walk of Fame, a "designated historic cultural landmark," and are intended to be permanent. The stars only commemorate the recipient's professional accomplishments. It is regrettable when the personal lives of inductees do not measure up to public standards and expectations; however, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce does not remove stars from the Walk of Fame.

Take a look at four stories to watch on Tuesday Sept. 25, including a $1.39 million Costa Mesa home that comes with a thrilling incentive.

Three Bedrooms, Three Bathrooms, One Tesla

This three-level Orange County condo doesn't have the traditional white picket fence, but it does come with a white Tesla Model 3 parked in front. As part of the $1.39 million asking price, the owner is throwing in the electric car. Click here to see inside the Costa Mesa home.  

Video Shows Police Chase That Ended in Metro Train Tunnel

A pursuit took an unusual turn in February when a pickup driver disappeared into a Metro train tunnel. New video shows what happened next.

More Details in String of Baseball Bat Attacks

Detectives said they believe a suspect arrested Monday in an attack in Santa Monica is responsible for the slayings of two men and the attempted killing of another in downtown Los Angeles. More details are expected at a 3 p.m. news conference.

'Stranger Things' Actors Brave a 'Stranger Things' Maze

Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), and Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair) faced the new Halloween Horror Nights maze at Universal Studios Hollywood. Watch things get super-meta.

Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans said Tuesday they had hired outside counsel to handle questioning at Thursday's hearing featuring Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused him of sexually assaulting her — though they would not reveal the lawyer's identity, drawing criticism from Democrats and women's advocates.

In a letter to a lawyer for Ford on Monday, Mike Davis, who handles nominations for Republicans on the committee, said the GOP had hired a woman whom he described as "an experienced sex-crimes prosecutor to serve as an investigative staff counsel for the hearing," NBC News reported.

"She will question Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh on Thursday on behalf of the Republican members," Davis wrote. The goal for Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Davis, "is to de-politicize this process and search for the truth – instead of creating a forum for senators to grandstand or launch their presidential campaigns."

Calls to the national sexual assault hotline were up 57 percent over the weekend compared to an average Friday to Sunday, according to Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network press secretary Sara McGovern.

On Friday and Saturday, alone, the rate of calls increased 42 percent from a normal weekend, and the weekend numbers suggest that callers did not let up on Sunday.

Local counselors believe recent headlines are the reason for the notable increase.

With Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination under scrutiny due to accusations related to alleged incidents that took place decades ago, sexual misconduct and sexual assault are in the national spotlight.

To pour fuel on the fire, President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Friday and wrote, "I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents. I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!"

The tweet led to a social media response with people using "#WhyIDidntReport" on Twitter to share personal stories of why they did not report sexual assault.

At the local Southern California hotline center, calls are up more than 20 percent with local counselors pointing to recent headlines as the cause for the uptick. 

"This 'MeToo' and 'Time's Up' movement has elevated the platform to have these conversations, to expose it and say we cannot ignore women, men and children being sexually assaulted," says Yvette Lozano, Peace Over Violence CEO. "And we need to do something about it."

Peace Over Violence counselors, who answer the calls, are trained to provide support, including accompanying assault survivors to get medical attention--if necessary. The counselors will also go to police interviews if the callers decide to press charges.

If you've been the victim of sexual assault, even if it was years ago, and need someone to talk to, you can call the local hotline at 1-213-626-3393.

Delta Air Lines says its IT systems have been restored and flights are no longer grounded due to the technology problem.

The airline said in a statement Tuesday night that a "technology issue briefly affected" some of its systems, causing a ground stop order to be issued in the U.S. The order has now been lifted.

It was not immediately known how many people or flights were affected.

The airline has not said what caused the problem.

During the ground stop, the airline's Twitter feed lit up with customer complaints.

"The technical issues are system-wide. We are even on a domestic flights ground stop. International flights are still going," the company tweeted in response to one complaint.

Election day is approaching, and SoCal residents are being urged across social media and beyond to register to vote.

Every American citizen residing in the country without a criminal record can register to vote starting Tuesday.

What to Do

1. Register to vote.

All states except North Dakota require citizens to register to vote. If you are not registered, do it before the deadline that your state imposes. Generally the limit is 30 days before the election. 

Each state has its registration requirements, but in general everyone will ask for an official ID, a proof of address and fill out the corresponding "National Voter Registration Form." Some will also ask you to indicate your political affiliation.

To learn what the requirements of in your state, you can check the website of the Electoral Assistance Commission by clicking here for information in Spanish or here for information in English.

2. Confirm the progress of your registration.

Once registered you should review your registration data in your state or local election office weeks before the deadline in order to correct, if necessary, any errors.

3. Check what your polling place will be.

Be sure to locate and know the opening and closing hours of your polling place.

4. Know the identification requirements in your state.

Some states will ask for an identification at the time of voting.

5. Consider the early vote. 

Some states allow voting in person before the day of the election. Find out if your state has early voting in person or via mail. If so, find out when it will be, where and how you can do it.

Southern California residents can find answers to most of their questions here at our Election Guide. 

Jack Skellington might have asked "what's this?" several times in "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas," but that isn't a question you'll utter when your Doom Buggy rolls through the famous ballroom at Disneyland Park's Haunted Mansion.

For you surely know what is before your very eyes, should you be familiar with the "Nightmare"-ish fable and Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort.

It's a gingerbread house you're looking for, a spicy-of-scent, whimsically presented abode that's become a falltime fan favorite at The Happiest Place on Earth.

But unlike some of the tried-and-true staples of season at Disneyland, those enduring talismen that remain consistent throughout the decades, the gingerbread house inside the Haunted Mansion changes every year.

This gives those happy haunters who adore both the nearly-50-year-old attraction, and its seasonal overlay of "Nightmare"-flavored high jinks, something fresh to anticipate.

So what's the look of the 2018 gingerbread creation, which indeed may be found in the ballroom of the Haunted Mansion, the large space where ghosts dance and dangle from chandeliers while figures inside paintings engage in duels?

The vibe is very arachno-awesome, thanks to a 5-foot spider sitting atop the eerie abode, attempting to "pry the edible mansion from its foundation."

Webs crisscross the cute cookie casa, which boasts several details suggesting a winter celebration. Hello, sweet gingerbread man, hi there, snowy cover.

The multi-legged roof dweller, though, is the central focus of this dastardly dessert. A dessert that's for show, of course, and not for nibbling, but you should be able to get an eyeful of the centerpiece, thanks to the funereal pacing of the famous Doom Buggies.

"This year’s gingerbread creation is made up of 90 pounds of gingerbread, 30 pounds of confectioner’s sugar, 10 pounds of white chocolate and 45 pounds of fondant," reveals the theme park. Yum, yum, yum, and yum.

How to see this 'Nightmare' nom during its holiday-fun run?

Make for the Haunted Mansion, which is inside New Orleans Square, which is inside Disneyland Park, which is located in Anaheim, before Jan. 6, 2019.

Tax payers are likely left footing the bill after a college student in the Inland Empire reached out to the I-Team, concerned that his Lyft account had been hacked for the purpose of Medi-Cal insurance fraud.

Day after day, college senior Robert Williams was being contacted by Lyft drivers for rides he never ordered.

"I'm studying information technology with an emphasis in cyber security," Williams says.

Of course, there is irony in his choice of major because he believes his Lyft account was hacked, or at least compromised.

"I do have a Lyft account, but I've only used it twice," Williams says.

Normally, Williams drives himself, so the only times he used the popular ride-share app was when he was out of town.

"Eight months ago, I started getting text messages, 'Hey this is your Lyft driver. I'm outside your house,'" Williams says. "The first time it happened, I got a little freaked out somebody is outside my house. I didn't order a Lyft." 

Thankfully, no drivers were waiting outside his home, but the text messages kept coming: "This is your Lyft driver, I'm outside;" "Hi, this is you Lyft driver, I'm waiting."

And Williams got a ton of voicemails.

It got so bad that Williams was receiving over 10 voicemails from Lyft drivers every week.

But when he checked his credit card, Williams didn't have any charges. He was never billed. Emails he shared with the I-Team show that he repeatedly reported the issue to Lyft for investigation until his account was ultimately deleted last July.

The text messages stopped, and the nightmare appeared to be over until he received a letter from the Inland Empire Health Plan, his insurance provider, stating, "We've noticed that you've requested a lot of rides and cancelled them, and we get charged for every time that happens.

The I-Team reached out to IEHP, who responded, "The identity of one of our members was misused for unapproved transportation trips."

The insurance provider has turned over the case to state investigators, “to review and take appropriate action including law enforcement action if appropriate...the identified driver has been banned from providing trips for our members.”

The agency says it will use stricter measures to identify Members requesting transportation. You can read IEHP’s entire statement here:

"The care of our Members is our highest priority at IEHP. As you may already know, the State mandates IEHP to provide transportation services to all of our Members for any Medi-Cal benefit, including trips to and from home to pharmacies, medical appointments, dialysis visits, dental visits, behavioral health appointments and any other Medi-Cal benefit. For many of our Members, that can be multiple trips every week.

"IEHP has determined that the identity of one of our Members was misused for unapproved transportation trips. All incurred expenses from the unapproved trips will be recovered from our transportation vendor so no public funds are at risk, and at no time was our Member impacted financially. We do apologize for the inconvenience that our Member experienced and have reached out to him directly.

"IEHP has taken the following actions to remedy this case and prevent similar situations from occurring again:

1) We turned over the details of this case to our state investigators to review and take appropriate action, including law enforcement actions if appropriate.

2) The identified driver has been banned from providing trips for our Members.

3) We have required our transportation vendor to add stricter measures to authenticate our Members when they request transportation services."

Williams says that he never used his health insurance to book with Lyft.

"I didn't even know that was a thing you could do," he says.

In an email to the I-Team, a spokesman for Lyft says, "We have a dedicated team that promptly responds to any fraudulent activity, we are currently investigating this issue and are reaching out to Mr. Williams' insurance organization."

Williams has yet to graduate, but he deserves an "A" for his instincts, as his actions and disclosures started the investigation to stop tax payers from getting ripped off.

Williams shares, "My biggest concern is that this is happening to other people, and IEHP is getting defrauded on a large scale."

Neither the Inland Empire Health Plan nor Lyft has said how many rides were booked or how much has been paid to Lyft for these bogus rides. No one has been able to answer exactly how Williams' account was compromised and whether it's happened to anyone else.

An attorney representing a second woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh says Republicans on the decisive Senate Judiciary Committee have thwarted her efforts to testify ahead of its vote on the jurist's appointment, now scheduled for Friday, NBC News reported.  

The committee's Republican majority "refused" to have a phone conversation about the possible testimony of Deborah Ramirez, and it has demanded she show all her cards before even negotiating an appearance, lawyer John Clune said Tuesday on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show."

"Here’s the problem, Rachel: They won’t talk to us," Clune said. "The demand that they keep making to us is, ‘Give us every piece of information that you have now and then we can talk about scheduling a phone call.' And that’s just not the kind of partisan game playing that our client deserves."

Ramirez emerged as a second Kavanaugh accuser Sunday after The New Yorker published a story in which she claimed Kavanaugh caused sexual contact without consent during a gathering when both attended Yale University in the 1983-84 school year.

Kavanaugh's first accuser, Christine Blasy Ford, told The New Yorker in a story published Sept. 14 that the federal judge got on top of her and put his hand over her mouth when both were in high school. The two are set to testify before the Judiciary Committee Thursday. 

Kavanaugh has denied both accusations. 

LAPD officers responded to a residential burglary investigation Tuesday night on the 7800 block of Hillside Avenue in the Hollywood Hills at a home owned by singer Rihanna, whose real name is Robyn Fenty.

It was unclear if the singer still owned the home, but the same home had been burglarized as recently as May of 2018, and the singer was identified as the owner at the time.

LAPD confirmed that property was stolen from the residence Tuesday night, but it was not immediately clear whether the singer was in town.

When Newschopper4 Bravo arrived over the scene at approximately 10:30 p.m., the home's burglary alarm system could be seen flashing with police congregating outside the home.

LAPD said they responded to a call at 9:35 p.m.

A Huntington Beach man was arrested Tuesday for planting cameras at a Rancho Palos Verdes city unisex employee restroom and a Starbucks, also in Rancho Palos Verdes, according to the Lomita Sheriff's Station.

Andrew James Jensen, 49, was arrested at approximately 2 p.m. and booked at the Lomita Sherriff's station. The LA County District Attorney's Office at South Bay Court filed a misdemeanor complaint alleging 89 counts of voyeurism per the Lomita Sheriff's Station.

"On July 5, 2018, a hidden miniature camera was discovered by a Rancho Palos Verdes city staffer in a unisex employee restroom," according to a sheriff's department statement. "A police report was filed and Lomita Station initiated a criminal investigation.

"It was determined that Jensen, who was a Rancho Palos Verdes building inspector, allegedly secreted the camera in the restroom at City Hall, and at a nearby local business. He is currently being booked and held at Lomita Sheriff's Station in lieu of $450,000 bail."

Anyone with additional information is asked to call Detective Terence Peterson at (310) 891- 3211. If you prefer to remain anonymous, you may call "L.A. Crime Stoppers" at 800-222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the "P3 MOBILE APP" on Google play or the App Store, or use the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.

City News Service contributed to this report. 

True story: Dinosaurs, as in living, breathing, clawing, teeth-glinting beasties, aren't roaming Southern California at this exact moment.

But, if they were, how would they move around?

By Metro? If they took the freeway, would they use the HOV Lane, if they were traveling in a pack of three or more? And would all of these colossal critters be seen stomping in the direction of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, in Exposition Park?

If it is the final weekend of September 2018, that's absolutely the dinosaurs' destination, so keep an eye out for Carnotaurus in the carpool lane.

For it is Dino Fest time, the once-a-year NHM festivity that spotlights these fiercesome titans of old and all of the fascinating facts surrounding their stories.

This is year three for the T. Rex-sized celebration, and there's a special prism to the upcoming party: The 10th birthday of the beloved Dinosaur Puppets, those amazing, real-seeming figures that may be seen moving about the museum, often on weekends.

Are these puppets, which have talented puppeteers inside them, captivating to watch? Totally.

Will they be easy to honor on this big occasion? "Rawr," which is dinosaur-ese for "totally."

Other dinosaur-related doings will flower, like some ancient palm, all weekend long. You can check out "rare specimens from the Museum's collections," oh yeah, as well as hear from Dinosaur Institute paleontologists.

Activities — they're "hands-on," you betcha — and other happenings will fill up the saurus-y scene.

So should you make room on the freeway to allow a dinosaur to pass, if you happen to see one approaching quickly in your rearview mirror?

And should you not take up a whole row on the train, should a dino want to sit next you?

Neither is necesssary, nowadays, given the dearth of living dinosaurs in our modern world.

But making room on your schedule, on Saturday, Sept. 29 and Sunday, Sept. 30, is a fine idea, if you're a fan of earthlings who lived in the way, way, wayyyy back, and you enjoy learning more about their Jurass-tastic world.